Black, Black, No Trades Back
by Mummyluvr
Summary: [Sequel to The Grapefruit Analogy] Thirteen years ago, The Demon was sent to Hell. Things are still going great, if you ignore a certain teen who's dying to meet her mom and the fact that sometimes things come back when you least expect...
1. Chapter 1

Ahh... SequelLand. I love it here. Don't you?

Anywho, this is the sequel to "The Grapefruit Analogy," which I suggest reading before you start on this one. Trust me, it's not as bad as it looks. :)

**Title:** Black, Black, No Trades Back

**Summary:** TGA sequel. It's been thirteen years since Sam and Dean exorcised The Demon, and things are going great. The only problem? A certain teenage girl who's dying to meet her mom. Oh, and that Demon? Won't stay gone forever...

**Rating:** Gonna be K+ unless I really get it gross in chapters that haven't been written yet...

**Warnings:** None! Unless you hate the idea of Dean possibly having a crush on Ellen and them having a kid. Told you ya should have read the first one :)

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. If it was, that hug in AHBL2 would have actually meant somethign and Ellen would go hunting with the guys every once in a while... and maybe Sam would be nicer to his brother... and John would have died a horrible death... multiple times...

* * *

Black, Black, No Trades Back

Jo couldn't help but wonder about the little girl who had just walked in. She couldn't have been more than thirteen, with long auburn hair and sparkling hazel eyes. She was too young to be a hunter, too young to really fit in with the saloon's other patrons, yet there she was, dressed in tattered jeans and an old flannel shirt, her hair tied back into a messy ponytail.

The girl walked up to the bar and slid effortlessly onto one of the stools. The few hunters in the room turned to look at her with shocked respect in their eyes. She owned the place, commanded the room. She just had that air about her, that confidence. It wasn't just a teen thing, either.

Sighing, Jo set down the glass she'd been cleaning and walked over to the girl. "Aren't you a little young to be in here, honey?"

The girl smiled up at her, a radiant, somehow familiar expression that instantly melted her. "I'm looking for Ellen Harvelle," the girl answered, pushing a few stray strands of hair behind her ear, "are you…?"

Jo shook her head, trying on a smile of her own and finding it to be genuine. "No. I'm, uh, I'm her daughter, Jo."

The girl's eyes widened a bit, her confidence shaken. "Her daughter? If… um, how old…?"

The smile faded from the blonde's face. "A lady never tells her age. You should know that."

"I'm sorry," the girl replied, her confidence back, winning smile in place. "It's just that you look about as old as my dad. I'm just… sorry."

Jo sighed. "Mom went out to grab some stuff at the store. I don't know when she'll be back. If you want to wait, feel free."

"I'd like that."

"Great." She turned to walk away, almost did, but curiosity stopped her. "Hey, you know, you probably shouldn't be here alone. Where's you mom?"

The girl's smile changed. No longer was it one of confidence. It was a secret smile now, one that boasted superiority and forbidden knowledge. "I really need to talk to Ellen."

Jo nodded. "All right. You want anything to drink while you wait?"

"You got Coke?"

"Coming right up, uh…?"

"Jaydin," the girl nodded, "my name's Jaydin."

"That's really pretty."

"Yeah, my dad thinks so, too."

* * *

Short first chapter, I know. Just hang in there and review a lot (loves me some reviews). 


	2. Chapter 2

Well, don't all try to review at once, now, you'll jam up the system :)

Seriously, though, I promise that this chapter will answer questions and be a lot lonnger than the last one, making it that much easier to review :)

I'll shut up now and get on with the story...

* * *

It didn't take long for Ellen to recognize the girl at the bar, and her heart almost stopped when she did. She searched the room, looking for the man that should have been with her, should have been watching her, but couldn't find him. That could only mean one thing, and it wasn't good.

She set her grocery bag down on the bar, leaving it for Jo to put away, and walked toward the girl. She had no idea what to say, how much the teenager had been told. They were strangers. The only things Ellen knew about her were the few snippets Dean sent every few months, school pictures and progress reports and the like.

The girl turned on the stool, noticing her, assessing her with all-too-familiar eyes. "Ellen Harvelle?"

Gulping back fear and uncertainty, Ellen nodded. The girl closed her eyes, nodding back, and slid off the stool. She walked closer to the older woman, stood right in front of her, and looked up.

"You don't know me," she said softly, glancing back at the bar, eyes falling on Jo, "but I'm your daughter."

Again, the hunter nodded. "Let's go into the back and talk, huh?" She started to walk away, but the girl hung back.

"Will I be coming back?"

Ellen sighed, turning slightly to find the girl smirking. "Just like your father," she mused.

o0o0o0o0o

The back room, really a spare bedroom that nobody ever used, was small and cramped and made uncomfortable by the awkwardness of the entire situation. The door was closed and mother and daughter stared at each other for what seemed to be hours before either one dared speak.

"Your father doesn't know you're here, does he?" Ellen finally asked, breaking the silence that had hung around them for so long.

"Well, he's probably figured it out by now."

"You ran away from home?"

"I didn't run away from home. Home is where your family is. You're my family, therefore, this is my home. I didn't run away, I ran _to_. There's a big difference."

"Jaydin Mary Winchester-"

"How'd you know my name?"

Ellen sighed. "Your father told me."

"You two talk a lot?"

"He writes."

"You write back?"

She looked at the girl, her daughter, and couldn't lie. "No. Not really."

Jaydin nodded. "That's cool. E-mail's easier, anyway."

"I don't… look, I can't do this right now, ok? Just tell me why you're here and how you got here and I'll call your dad and-"

"He probably already left."

"Fine, then. I won't call your dad. Just tell me-"

Jaye sighed and plopped down on the old, dusty bed. "I've been asking about my mother since I was a little kid," she explained, "he always told me that he'd tell me when I was older. Today was the day."

"What did he tell you?"

She smiled. "You two had a thing once, it was called off, and then you found out about me. You were scared that something would go wrong with the pregnancy, and dad, being the totally awesome guy he is, offered to take me off your hands. You knew a witch, and it all worked out for the best."

"You know about…?"

"Dad almost having to push a grapefruit through a straw? Yeah."

"No. The witch."

"That? Well, yeah, I mean, I've known about that stuff forever. Dad didn't think it was safe to keep me in the dark, so I just kind of grew up knowing about it."

"He told you?"

Jaydin nodded. "Yep. What he used to do, what you do here, all of it. I think it's awesome."

"And you weren't scared?"

"Dad's not gonna let anything happen to me. Come on, you know that."

Ellen sighed and sat down beside her daughter. "How'd you get here?"

"Hitchhiked."

"You _what_?"

"Yeah," the girl nodded, smiling, "don't tell dad, though. He's really against it. Says that the last time anyone in our family ever hitchhiked, uncle Sammy almost fell for a demon."

"So you ran away from your father, hitchhiked, and spent some quality time in a bar. Yeah, he's gonna love that."

Jaye shrugged. "I had to meet you. I mean, my whole life I've wanted a mom. Dad never really talked about you, though, and he never dated. I just wanted to see what I've been missing."

"Well, you've seen it. Happy?" she snapped.

The girl looked up at her with bright eyes, eyes that were so much like Dean's that it was scary, eyes that suddenly held that same hurt, that same sad shine. "Yeah, all right."

"Look," Ellen began, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder and watching her brighten instantly, another sign that she really was who she claimed to be, "your dad isn't gonna like this. He's gonna be pissed. I really don't want to be on the receiving end of that rage. Understand?"

Jaydin nodded. "Yeah, totally."

"Good."

"So, that blonde chick out there… that's my sister?"

"Half-sister."

The girl nodded again, slowly this time, as if she were thinking something through. "She's as old as dad."

Ellen sighed, ducking her head. "Six years younger, actually."

"That's cool. Always kind of wanted an older sibling to scare."

o0o0o0o0o

"Who is that?" Jo whispered as she walked down the hall, only stopping to ask her mother about the teenage girl now sleeping in the spare room.

"That would be Dean's little girl."

"Why was she looking for you?"

Ellen shrugged, keeping up the charade she'd acted out for almost fourteen years, lying to her daughter. "No idea."

"Well, is he ok?"

"He's fine."

Jo nodded. "Fine as a traitor can be."

"Joanna Beth!"

"What? He gave up the only life he'd ever known to settle down and raise some random hooker's kid. He's gone soft, and the other side is getting stronger every day. He needs to get back on that horse, load up that trunk, and do what he does best."

"Some people outgrow the game, Jo. His priorities changed. She came first."

Jo shook her head. "That's a lousy excuse. The world needs hunters, mom, and he's one of the best. I don't see how he can just sit back and watch things get worse and worse."

"You wouldn't understand, honey. Go home."

"Aren't you coming?"

"I'm gonna stay here to watch out for her, make sure nothing tries to get her."

"Whatever, I'll leave the lights on for you."

Ellen nodded her thanks and went back to watching the sleeping girl. It had been a long day, a day of worrying about saying the wrong thing, of waiting for Dean to show up and break down the door trying to find his daughter, of lying to Jo.

Well, that last part wasn't exactly new. She'd been lying to Jo since the blonde had come running back home. It wasn't something she enjoyed doing, but it just seemed right.

Sighing, she left the open bedroom door and headed into the bar to finish cleaning up. She was scrubbing the scratched countertop when the pounding began.

Loud banging shook the door in its frame as Ellen hurried to unlock it. Dean ran in, was actually halfway across the room before he bothered to stop and look at her. "Please tell me she's here," he breathed, voice breaking, every word dripping with desperation.

"Calm down," Ellen said softly, closing the door, "she's here." She turned in time to see his body relax, to watch him run his hands through graying hair, to hear the sigh of relief escape his lips.

"Where exactly?" he asked, gazing around the empty bar.

"Back room. She's asleep."

"How-?"

"Hitchhiked."

He shook his head. "I'm gonna kill her."

"I'm sure you are," Ellen grinned, pointing down the hallway to the open bedroom door. Dean barely waited for her to finish the sentence before setting off to see if she was telling the truth.

He returned to the bar in record time and slid onto a stool, burying his head in his arms and sighing. "She tell you why?"

Ellen sat down next to him. "Something about always wanting a mom."

"Great," he snorted, "just freakin' perfect. I knew…" he looked up at her and trailed off.

"Go ahead. You can say it. You knew you shouldn't have told her about me."

"I didn't mean-"

"Of course you did. It's understandable. Look, you can take her back home right now if you want to, or you can leave in the morning. I'm not gonna stop you."

"She might."

"Stubborn?"

He smiled. "She gets it from you."

Ellen nodded, glancing around the empty room, looking at anything and everything but the man sitting beside her. "So, how's Sam?"

Dean shrugged. "Dunno. Ok, I guess. He's been pretty busy lately, or something."

"I thought he lived with you?"

"Not since Jaye was five. Soon as I got a good job, he was gone."

"Back to school?"

Dean shook his head, grinning. "No, surprisingly. He said someone's gotta keep the world safe. He bought a car and left. I get e-mails, phone calls every once in a while. He's doing all right. Jo?"

It was Ellen's turn to grin. "She came back home a couple of years after Jaye was born. She kept asking about you."

"What did you tell her?"

The grin turned into a full-on ear-to-ear smile. "I told her you got a hooker knocked up a couple of towns over and decided to play dad. Then I told her your baby's momma left you."

"If it makes you feel any better," he chuckled, "you're one of the prettiest hookers I've ever slept with."

Her smile died instantly. "Dean…"

"I know, I know. Don't tell Jo and don't get the wrong idea. We made a mistake. Best mistake I've ever made, but a mistake nonetheless."

She nodded. "So, you want to stay here tonight, or you gonna find a motel?"


	3. Chapter 3

Again, if you all hit that little 'review story' button at the same time, the system will jam :)

All pathetic attempts at kidding aside, I promise that the story is gonna pick up soon. Really soon. Like, just as soon as I post this chapter and then try to get over my writer's block... yeah...

Enjoy!

* * *

With a yawn and a stretch, Jaydin headed out of the back room and down the hall toward the bar. She'd been a little surprised to wake up alone in the dusty old room, had actually been expecting to find her father looming over her with a very angry expression on his face.

She wandered out into the saloon, fully expecting to see Jo or Ellen setting up for the day, and stopped in her tracks. Her eyes widened as they fell on the man sitting at the bar. He was staring at her, an aggravated expression on his face, hazel eyes narrowed.

"Hey, daddy," she squeaked.

"Hey there, Jaye."

"Um… let me go get dressed, ok?"

"Sit."

Jaydin gulped. It hadn't been a friendly request. "Yes, sir." She slid onto one of the bar stools, careful to keep her eyes down and her shoulders slumped as her father fixed her wit a disapproving glare.

"You mind telling me why I had to drive for an hour, get three speeding tickets, and nearly have a heart attack yesterday?"

"You got three tickets?"

"Answer the question."

She sighed. "I ran away."

"You ran away."

"Without telling you."

"Without telling me."

"But I wanted to-"

Dean sighed. "I told you I would bring you here sometime this summer."

"But it _is_ summer," Jaye argued, finally daring to look her father in the eye, "and you never have any time off in the summer. You're too busy."

"I'm only so busy because everyone else works in the summer and little kids can't stay home alone."

"So get a different job."

"It's not that easy," he snapped, "not with _my_ resume, anyway."

"You could always do what uncle Sammy does."

"Because raising a teenager on stolen credit cards is so easy. And when did this conversation become about me, huh?"

Jaye rolled her eyes. "I just wanted to meet my mother."

"And if you had stuck around for a couple more days, we could've come together and you wouldn't have to spend the rest of the summer in your room."

"What?"

"Yeah. I was going to ask for a couple of weeks off to bring you out here, but you just couldn't wait. Prepare to learn the meaning of the word 'grounded.'"

"That is so not fair!"

"No phone, no computer, no friends, no TV, no texting, no iPod."

"What am I supposed to do for three months?" she whined.

Dean shrugged. "Read a book. Count the blades of grass in the yard. Find funny shapes in clouds. Just don't have fun."

"I'm telling mom."

"I have a funny feeling she's gonna agree with me on this one, babe."

"You're the worst dad ever!"

"Oh," Dean sobbed, tracing a finger down his cheek, "cry."

Jaye tried to scowl, but found it kind of hard to effectively express her current mood towards her father with a smile on her face. "I hate you," she laughed as he stuck out his bottom lip and continued to pretend to cry.

He crossed his arms on the scratched countertop and laid his head in them, body shaking with a mix of fake sobs and suppressed laughter. "Y-you hate m-me?"

"Now, dude, I never said that."

Dean's head popped up as he spun around on the stool. Jaye followed his gaze to look at the person who had just spoken.

"Ash?" Dean asked, jumping out of his seat, "what are you doing here?"

"Looking for your brother, actually," the MIT dropout replied. His eyes fell on Jaydin. "This your little freak of nature?"

Dean and Jaye both scowled. "This is my _daughter_, yeah," the hunter corrected.

Ash shrugged. "All I know is that she popped out of a dude, and that ain't normal."

"How'd you know that?"

"Well," Ash muttered, taking a seat at the bar, "I figured that Ellen's story was pretty much a load of bull. I thought to myself, 'if I got someone pregnant, what would I do?' Then I thought, 'shoot her, duh.' Since you and I are kind of on the same brainwaves, I figured you either really loved the chick, or were scared of her. Then I did the math, and found out you were here around the time the munchkin was conceived. Add in the demonically-demised witch, and there you go."

"Does Ellen know you know?"

"Hell no!"

Dean sighed and closed his eyes, bringing a hand up to massage his temples. "What're you looking for Sam for?"

Nervous eyes fell on Jaye before Ash turned his attention back to Dean. "Maybe not in front of the kid, huh?"

"I know," Jaydin offered, "about everything."

"You know the demon's back?"

"_The_ demon?" Dean asked, suddenly alert, stepping forward, "_the_ demon? Fugly sucker with yellow eyes?"

"The one and only."

"Then why do you want to talk to Sam?"

"He's been hunting the damn thing for the past two months, ever since those signs your dad figured out started popping up again. He didn't tell you?"

"No, he didn't tell me. If he told me, you really think I'd have asked you if the demon was back?"

"Dunno," Ash shrugged, "you always were kinda slow on the uptake."

Dean sighed. "So it's back. Where is it?"

"Signs started popping up in west Texas early this morning. Sammy usually stops by here after working a job for a little R and R. Figured he might be back."

"Which town in west Texas?"

"Little place called Hamlet. Why?"

Dean looked back over his shoulder, toward the bar. "Ellen!"

The older hunter appeared almost immediately at the door. "What?"

"Watch Jaye for a couple of days, all right? I'm heading out to Texas."

"Oh, no," Jaydin argued, "I'm going with you."

He shook his head. "Too dangerous."

"How do you know mom's gonna enforce your punishment?"

"I trust her."

"Really? Because she looks like one of those lenient parents you always see on those shows about British nannies."

"Looks are deceiving."

"What if she comes with us?"

"There is no 'us' here, Jaye. You're staying here with your mom, and I'm going to Texas."

"What if she hits me or something?" Jaye pouted.

"She's not gonna hit you."

"I think I should come."

"Out of the question."

"Come on, dad. I know all about the things that hide in the dark-"

"Doesn't mean I want you to meet 'em."

"It'll be a good learning experience-"

"That you could do without."

"What else am I gonna do this summer?" she pointed out. "Besides, if I go with you, you can make sure that I don't have any fun. I can stay in the motel room the whole time, surrounded by salt."

Dean sighed. "I don't know."

"I'll be perfectly safe, dad."

"Famous last words."

"_Please_?"

He looked back over his shoulder. "Ellen?"

Ellen shrugged. "I don't see why she can't come with, just as long as she stays in the room or the car or wherever."

"I suppose that means you're coming along for the ride, too?"

The older hunter smiled. "It's been a while since I've seen any action. Might as well go with you."

"Great," Dean muttered, throwing up his arms in surrender, "Ash, you coming, too?"

"No, man, I'm cool right here."

"Good." He turned to his daughter. "Let's go home and pack." He looked back at Ellen again. "Be back in an hour, I guess."

Dean shook his head and stuffed his hands in his pockets, heading for the door. Jaye hung back a bit, smiling at her mother and mouthing an appreciative 'thank you' before following her father out of the building.

"So," Ash began, grinning at Ellen, "that hooker he slept with thirteen years ago…"

"Shut up Ash."


	4. Chapter 4

I'm heading out on vacation today, so don't expect another update until Thursday or Friday. Until then, enjoy :)

* * *

Dean cleared his throat, hands on the wheel, eyes staring at the road in front of him. The car was eerily silent, the three passengers all deep in thought. "So," he finally attempted, glancing at Ellen, "this brings back memories, huh?"

"You talking about the time you almost got Jo killed?"

"I prefer to think of it as the dear girl's first hunt."

"It was almost her last."

Dean cleared his throat again, letting the space fill with that uncomfortable silence, the rumbling of the Impala's old engine the only noise penetrating the darkening surroundings.

Jaydin leaned forward from the backseat. "So, this town we're headed to, what's going on there?"

"Electrical storms," her father replied quickly, happy to fill the void that silence left, "cattle mutilations, and probably a big swirly cloud of black smoke with bright yellow eyes."

The girl nodded. "And how many more hours is it gonna take to get there?"

"Only a couple." They'd been driving for nearly seven straight hours, only stopping for gas and food. The majority of the ride had been quiet and strained, with no one really knowing what to say.

"You try calling uncle Sam and seeing if he's already there?"

Dean nodded. "Either his phone's off, or it's dead."

The girl nodded back as she caught the subtle way his voice cracked, saw the pain hidden in his eyes. He was scared. It was possible that the phone wasn't the only dead thing in the equation, and he was scared. "What are we gonna do once we get there?"

He glanced back at her and smiled. "_You're_ going to stay in the car. Your mom and I are gonna go check out the house that Ash pointed out as the possible target. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," she sighed, sinking back into the seat and folding her arms over her chest.

Another awkward silence filled the car, surrounding the three passengers, adding to the level of discomfort that came from being gathered together in a tiny space after more than thirteen years apart.

"So," Ellen finally said, turning to Dean, "why'd Sam leave again?"

"Well," Dean began slowly, "he got restless. Heard some news about some killings going on in Palo Alto when Jaye was about five and he went to check it out. He came back to tell me he wasn't coming back, which makes about as much sense as him actually _wanting_ to start hunting again. I stayed in suburbia, and he bought himself a nice car and headed out for who-knows-where."

"He calls a lot, though," Jaye offered, leaning forward again, "and he stops by for holidays. Remember that time he brought us a tree for Arbor Day?"

"It's just such a big event in Nebraska," Dean nodded, smiling at the memory, "he couldn't _not_ help us celebrate."

"And now he's on the trail of the thing that killed your mom," Ellen observed, "only he forgot to mention it."

"Well, it's a very forgettable creature. Besides, can you blame him for leaving us out of the loop on this one? Just exorcising the damn thing nearly got us killed."

"Nearly got _Jaye _killed, you mean."

He shrugged, glancing in the rearview to see his daughter staring back at him. "I wasn't gonna let it hurt her."

"Dad almost broke his arm trying to save me," the girl said, "thing threw him across a room."

Ellen turned to stare at Dean. "You actually told her she almost got killed?"

"What was he supposed to do?" Jaye asked indignantly, "let me live my live in ignorance? This thing coming back has always been a possibility. Besides, it's not like he fed me arsenic. He told me the truth, which is more than most parents do for their kids."

"But to know that kind of thing-"

"What? That he saved me? You're right, that's horrible." She sank back into the seat and let silence penetrate the car again.

"It's just not the choice I would have made," Ellen finally whispered.

"I guess we're lucky I was the one making the choices, then," Dean hissed.

o0o0o0o0o

Crickets chirped in the darkness, their song echoing through the still air of a Texan summer night. The Impala's doors creaked as they were opened and groaned as they were slammed shut. Three sets of shoes sank in shallow mud as the car's passengers stepped out into the brisk air to get a good look at the house in question.

"What time is it?" Ellen asked, growing nervous as the chorus of insects suddenly stopped.

Dean pushed up the sleeve of his jacket to look at his watch. The second hand wasn't moving. "It's dead," he reported, turning to the older hunter.

Jaydin moved around from the side of the car. "I told you you should have gone digital," she sighed, pulling a cell phone out of her pocket and looking at the screen. She frowned, flipping the phone open and finding it dark. "What the fu-" she glanced at her father, who was looking at her expectantly, "Friday. It's, uh, it's Friday. We missed 'Grey's' reruns. Yeah."

"Nice save," Dean said, winking, "and didn't I tell you to stay in the car?"

Jaye shrugged. "It's not like anything's happening."

As if on cue, every light in the house across the street began to flicker. Dean looked pointedly at his daughter, who began to slink back toward the safety of the car. Her reluctant retreat was stopped, however, by sounds of shouting coming from the house.

Two pajama-clad figures darted across the street, both with looks of panic on their faces. The man and woman, both looking to be in their thirties, slid to a stop in the mud.

"You have to help us," the woman gasped, clutching at her chest as she struggled for breath, "please. Our baby… he's still inside, and that man-"

"What man?" Dean demanded, stepping up to the woman and towering over her.

"The one," she choked out, "the one with the yellow eyes."

"He has your baby?"

She shook her head. "No. The other one, the one that told us to run. I think he has him."

Dean reached out and grabbed her shoulders, eliciting a growl from her shaking husband. "What did he look like?"

"I-I don't know. It all happened so fast. Please, can you go see if my baby is ok?"

With a nod, the hunter set off toward the house. He was barely halfway to the front yard of the modest two-storey before he could see flames licking at the drapes in one of the rooms. Knowing from experience what would happen next, Dean turned on his heels and ran back to the muddy lot.

Jaye stepped from her place beside the car to see what had her father running scared, but was scooped into his arms before she could even ask him what was up. Heat rolled across the area as every window in the house exploded, shooting flames from the wooden structure.

The girl pulled herself from her father's protective grip in time to see the house become consumed by the fire. The dancing flames reflected in her eyes as she gazed at the inferno that sat across the street. "Uncle Sammy?"

"It probably wasn't him," Dean said, resting a hand on her shoulder and trying on a false smile, "he's probably miles away from here in some run-down motel room right now."

"Who else would have tried to save their baby?"

"There are lots of hunters out there," he reasoned, feeling dread building up within him, "Ash probably called one of them."

"If you don't believe that, how am I supposed to?" she challenged, still watching the house as smoke swirled up into the sky.

Dean opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by a shrill scream from the panicked homeowner. It didn't take long for his wife to start shouting and pointing toward the blazing house, too.

The hunter turned to follow their gaze and saw a large figure silhouetted before the flames. The person was tall, well built, and holding some kind of squirming mass in its arms as it crossed the street to the mucky lot.

"No way," Dean muttered as the figure drew close enough to be seen.

"Way," Sam grinned, handing the whimpering infant off to his parents and wiping a grimy hand over his equally grimy face.

"But Ash said-"

Sam shrugged. "You think he's the only one that can track signs? I found out about the mutilations in town and checked on all the other stuff. Good thing I did, too, 'cause you guys were late. Hey, Ellen."

Ellen nodded. "Sam."

The young hunter sniffed and glanced back at the house. "Got away from me," he reported, "again. I was so close, too. I almost had-" he stopped and looked down at the thin arms that had wrapped around his waist. "Hey, Jaydin."

The girl grinned up at him. "You could have told us it was back. We could have helped."

"_I_ could have helped," her father corrected, "and you could have stayed with one of your friends."

"Well, you're both here now," Sam interrupted, stopping the coming argument before it could start, "so it doesn't matter. Besides, I'm on it, so you can head back home."

"No way," Jaye argued, "like you said, we're here now, so why leave? Obviously, this thing needs to be stopped."

"It needs to be stopped by someone with experience," her uncle pointed out, "I've got it."

"And just how were you planning killing it?" Ellen asked, finally deciding to join the conversation, "did you find the gun?"

"Well, not exactly-"

"Some other way, then?"

"I'm kind of working on that-"

"So, you go barreling in there in the middle of the night with no way to kill the demon. That's great, Sam. When were you planning on telling your family about this master plan of yours?"

"I didn't want to worry anyone."

"Well," Dean grinned, "we're worried now. Good job, Geekboy."

Sam turned to him, opening his mouth to reply, but stopped as he caught sight of the couple and their baby, watching as their house burnt to the ground. "Look, can we do this somewhere else? There's a motel a couple of miles outside of town. We can get a couple of rooms, get some sleep, and talk about things in the morning, all right?"

Dean shrugged. "Lead the way."


	5. Chapter 5

I'm back with a very painful sunburn and another wonderful chapter.

* * *

With a key to the latest motel room in his hand, Dean crossed the cramped lobby to a spot by a magazine rack where Jaye and Ellen were talking in hushed voices. "We got room 8," he reported to his daughter, "Sammy and your mom snagged room 9."

Jaydin looked up at him and flashed a quick, innocent smile. "Actually, dad," she said slowly, "um, I was thinking that maybe I could room with mom. You know, just to get a chance to catch up and everything. She's totally cool with it."

"Oh," he muttered, glancing at Ellen, "well, yeah, I guess. That's… yeah, ok." He handed his daughter the key, which she snatched out of his hand with a smile.

"See you tomorrow," she called as she took her mother's hand and headed out of the lobby.

Dean shoved his hands in his pockets and watched mother and daughter walk off into the night.

"Jealous?"

Dean started and turned to see Sam standing behind him with their room key in his hand. "What? Of Ellen? No way."

"You sure? Because you look kind of jealous. That, or constipated."

"Well I'm neither, smartass. Come on, let's see what kind of grimy hellhole you've checked us into this time."

Sam grinned and followed him out of the lobby and into the darkness. "You are so jealous."

"I am not jealous."

"Jealous."

"At least I'm not a liar."

"I never lied to you," Sam defended as they approached their room, "I just neglected to tell the truth. There _is_ a difference."

"Not in my book."

Sammy swiped the key in the lock and pushed the door open. "I didn't want you guys getting caught up. Oh, and that was a really good way to change the focus of the conversation, by the way."

"What?" Dean asked innocently, tossing his bag onto the first bed and plopping down beside it, "why, Sam, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I know you. You don't want to talk about it. It's got to be, what, the first time in thirteen years you and Ellen have been in the same room together? First time Jaye's ever seen her mom, and you're jealous of the quality time, aren't you?"

"Would you just drop it already?"

Sam sighed, leaning up against the room's small dresser. "She looks older than you remember, right?"

"Dude, _you_ look older than I remember."

"Yeah, but-"

"And is that some grey I see?"

Sam turned and stared into the mirror that hung on the wall behind him, running his hands through his long hair. "Very funny, Dean," he muttered, turning back to his brother, "but I'm not gonna let you avoid this. Now spill."

Dean sighed and looked down at his shoes, which were caked with drying mud that was making a very interesting pattern on the black material as it cracked and fell off. "It was supposed to be an even trade," he said quietly, "I got Jaye and Ellen got her life, just the way it was, without my interference or the problem of having to explain the reasoning of sleeping with someone young enough to be her son to Jo."

Sam nodded. "And now she's going back on that unspoken deal."

"Just because she found the kid doesn't mean she gets to keep her."

"You do realize that you've started talking about your daughter like she's some kind of baseball card, right?"

"Black, black, no trades back," the elder shrugged.

Sammy shook his head. "If it were that simple, we wouldn't be talking about it. Come on, you know how much she's always wanted a mom."

"Yeah. And if anyone deserves to get what she wants, it's her. Besides, it's not like she's talking about moving away or anything. Yeah, it's probably all right."

"See, now that's the way to think," Sam grinned, flopping lazily down on his own bed. "So, you want to rent some porn or something?" Dean chucked a pillow at him.

o0o0o0o

"You and dad don't really get along, do you?' Jaydin asked through a mouthful of toothpaste.

"We did. Once. It's just that something happened and we had a little disagreement."

"Oh," the girl nodded, pointing at herself, "I get it."

Ellen sighed. "It wasn't you."

"Was it dad?"

"No. It was me. I wasn't ready for another relationship. Guess I still hadn't gotten over my husband's death."

Jaye ducked back into the bathroom and spit. "So, I was definitely an unexpected surprise, huh?"

"Exactly how much did your father tell you?"

She shrugged. "Just what I told you back at the bar. The moral of the story is to never have a one-night stand with someone you know because if she ends up pregnant you'll probably end up a freak of nature."

"He tell you why I wasn't around?"

"You had another family to take care of and a saloon to run. You were really busy, and he wasn't. You didn't want to have to tell people what had happened. He said you asked about me, though, all the time. Why? Think he lied or something?"

Ellen shook her head. "No. Your dad's a good guy. He wouldn't lie to you."

"That's what I thought," the girl smiled, walking from the bathroom to her bed and curling up under the covers. "'Night, mom."

"Good night."

"Love you."

Ellen flipped off the light, hoping Jaye hadn't caught the look on her face, couldn't see the fear, the knowledge that things could only go downhill from that simple sentence. "You, too, hon."


	6. Chapter 6

All right. Time to answer the all-important question. Now that Jaye's found her, will Ellen be willing to step up and be a mom? Read on, friends, read on!

* * *

It had been a fairly uneventful day, with Sam filling everyone in on the current demon situation and checking out new leads on its whereabouts, Jaye and Ellen spending some time at the small strip mall in town, and Dean actually enlisting in the fight against evil (at least until September, when Jaye had to be back at school).

The sun was just starting to set in the small Texas town as Sam left to get something to eat and Dean sat on the bed, making sure his brother's weapons were all in proper working order.

"Come on in, boy," he muttered under his breath, unable to stand the silence that filled the room after his brother had left, "sit on down and tell me 'bout yourself. So you like my daughter, do you now? Yeah, we think she's something else. She's her daddy's girl, her momma's world. She deserves respect, that's what she'll get, now ain't it, son? Y'all run along and have some fun. I'll see you when you get back, prob'ly be up all night, just cleaning this gun." He smirked. Oh, yeah, he was definitely using that on Jaye's first boyfriend (not that she would ever be allowed to date, mind you).

The door creaked open and Jaydin stuck her head in. "Daddy?"

He looked up and smiled. "Yeah?"

"Nice guns."

"Your uncle's."

"Figured. Um, listen, mom wants to talk to you about something. Alone."

"Oh. Ok." Dean stood up and stretched, groaning as his joints popped audibly. "Stay in here and don't touch anything."

"Don't worry, dad. We had a nice long talk about gun safety in school when I was five. I think it sank in."

He grinned at her and headed out of the room, mentally preparing himself for what was probably going to be a major emotional beating.

"Jaye said you wanted to see me?" Dean asked, poking his head into the room his daughter shared with her mother.

Ellen, who was busy pacing the floor, stopped trying to carve circles into the thick carpet and nodded. "Come on in."

"And sit on down?"

She shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat."

He gulped and slid into a chair. "So, anything in particular you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Yeah. I've been thinking, and it just seems like… Jaye and I have really been getting along. You know that. She likes spending time with me. And she's always wanted a mom, right?"

"Since she was about four, yeah. Why?"

"I just thought that she might like to come and spend the summer with me at the Roadhouse. Maybe get to know her mother a little better. I think she deserves to have the chance."

"You want her?" he asked quietly.

Ellen nodded. "I thought I should run it by you first, but, yeah. I think she'd enjoy coming out for the summer. Is that ok?"

"You really want her?"

"I think it would be good for her to get to know her mother."

He ducked his head, looking down at his shoes, which had lost most of the mud they'd gathered the night before, trying to come up with a logical response, something that could convey the rules of the unwritten, unspoken agreement they'd made nearly fourteen years before.

o0o0o0o0o

Jaydin couldn't hide her smile as she sat with her back against the wall, listening to her parents talking in the next room. She'd never realized before how much she loved crappy construction and paper-thin plaster. Her father's positive response was a sure thing. After all, he'd always put her first.

o0o0o0o0o

Dean sighed and looked up at Ellen. "_Now _you want her?" he barked, a little louder than he'd intended. Volume didn't matter, though, it seemed to elicit the desired effect.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me," he snapped.

"Lower your voice."

"No."

"What if Jaye-"

"Maybe she deserves to know the truth. I'm done lying for you. You didn't want her thirteen years ago, but now that she went out of her way to find her you're just gonna welcome her in with open arms? What are you gonna do when you get back to Nebraska, huh? She can't call you mom around Jo. You can't treat her any different than you'd treat a regular customer. She'll get nothing out of it."

"Don't get mad at me. I'm not the one who lied to her for thirteen years."

"That's right, you're the one who avoided her like the plague. My bad."

Ellen rolled her eyes. "Don't blame me for your own mistakes."

"Well what was I supposed to do? Tell her that her mother never really wanted her, actually wanted to _kill _her? Was I supposed to tell her that I'm the only reason she's alive right now? That mommy doesn't live with us because she was a mistake and daddy accidentally thought that he could actually get involved with someone without having to run for once in his life? That mommy's old enough to be her grandmother? That Mother's Day at school sucks because someone out there didn't want her, hated her enough to never even want her to live?"

"Dean-"

"I wasn't going to tell my daughter that someone who was supposed to love her didn't. It's not exactly fun living with that kind of knowledge."

She sighed. "Look, I know things haven't exactly been great between us, but that doesn't mean that you should try to keep her from getting something she wants."

He looked up at her with hurt, shining eyes, and she forced herself to look away. She wasn't getting sucked in, not again. "What about what _I_ want?"

"That's pretty selfish, don't you think?"

"You can ask her about it," he muttered, pushing himself out of the chair, "I'm going for a walk."

o0o0o0o0o

Jaye heard the door to the room she'd been sharing with her mother open and close, but she didn't move. She just sat curled up against the wall, trying to process everything she'd just heard.

The things her parents had told her were lies. Only the main storyline, the stuff that didn't really matter in the long run, stayed the same.

She sighed, finally moving from her spot by the wall to the clean bed and flopping down on her stomach. She had someone who was willing to bend the laws of nature and wrestle with demons to save her life, and she'd actually run away from him, had thought about staying away.

Things were going to change, hopefully for the best. She was going to make sure of that.

* * *

I'd just like to point out that while Dean was cleaning Sam's guns, he was muttering the refrain to the song 'Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy)' by Rodney Atkins. I think it totally describes Dean and his parenting style, so check out the song if you get a chance! 


	7. Chapter 7

Good news/bad news time.

Good news: I'm going to Adventureland... to have a fun time at Adventureland!

Bad news: Won't be back until July 3... and we don't ahve a laptop.

Good news: This chapter's really long.

Bad news: It's the last one until the third.

Good news: This will give me time to finish the story.

Bad news: What part of 'extended leave of absence' aren't we getting, here, people?

In other words, it's gonna be a while until the next update. I'm really sorry about that, but, like I said, it's a long chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

"So," Ellen began as she lay on the bed, poking her chopsticks into the container of take-out that sat in front of her, "your dad and I had a talk today."

Jaye nodded, staring down into her own container of food. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. We were, uh, discussing living arrangements."

"That's nice," the girl replied coldly.

"You ok?"

"Peachy."

"Jaye?"

Jaydin sighed. "I'm fine, mom. Really."

Ellen shook her head and kept poking at her food. It didn't take a genius to know that something was going on with the teenager. "You've been acting kind of distant tonight."

"Do we have pretzels?"

"What?"

"Pretzels," Jaye snapped, "you know, hard, curly dough covered in salt?"

"I think your dad and uncle have them."

"Can you go see? I'm craving pretzels."

"Sure," the older woman nodded, sliding off the bed, "we can talk when I get back."

"Whatever," the girl muttered, watching her mother leave the room and shuddering as a cold breeze blew through the small space.

o0o0o0o0o

"Can you believe it?' Dean asked jamming a fork through the bottom of the carry-out container, "thirteen years and _now_ she wants to play mom? No way!"

"But you said she could," Sam pointed out. "Do you want a plate or something?"

Groaning, Dean chucked his dinner and fork at the trashcan. "Not hungry."

"That's a first."

"Not funny," the elder mutter as someone started pounding on the door. Grunting, he slid off his bed and trudged over. "What?" he asked, pulling the door open.

"Jaye wants pretzels. You got any?"

Dean looked back at his brother. "We got pretzels?"

"Somewhere," the younger brother responded, crossing the room to dig through the bags of groceries he'd gotten earlier that day.

"You want to come in?" Dean asked.

Ellen shook her head. "No. I'm just here for the pretzels."

"They're in here somewhere," Sammy muttered, throwing bags of chips and candy across the room in his search. "Got 'em." He pulled out a bag of pretzels and held them up triumphantly as the lights began to flicker.

Ellen gasped as she was shoved into the room and Dean's waiting arms in order to make room for the door to slam.

"Son of a bitch," Dean muttered, taking his arms from her shoulders and diving for the duffle bag that sat in a chair. Sam was way ahead of him, already locked, loaded, and itching to get his hands on whatever evil dared to mess with his family.

All three hunters immediately set to work trying to open the door, which refused to budge. Finally, Dean stepped back and looked around the room, mind going into a panicked state of overdrive as the lights continued to blink and a muffled scream came from the next room.

Without really thinking, he shoved the duffle bag off of the chair and, grabbing the wooden armrests, drug it across the room to the window. The sound of shattering glass filled the room and pulled Ellen and Sam from their door-busting mission.

Dean leapt through the broken window with Sam and Ellen close behind him and began to pound on the door to room 8. It gave almost instantly, and he plunged through the doorway into darkness.

Ellen flipped the switch and the empty room was bathed in a bright, buzzing fluorescent glow. Three sets of eyes darted around the small space, taking in the overturned chairs and crushed cartons of food.

"Jaye?" Dean asked, stepping cautiously into the room and looking around, hoping to find her hidden behind a bed or in the closet. "Jaydin?"

Sam followed his brother into the room. He glanced up at the ceiling and breathed a sigh of relief when he found it unoccupied. "The salt lines aren't disturbed," he observed, "and she's not here, so-"

"Don't. Don't say it, Sam."

"The only thing I've ever seen get past salt is-"

"What did I just tell you?"

"Dean…"

"I hate to do this," Ellen interrupted as she ran a finger over a thin yellow powder that covered the floor by the door, "but there's sulfur."

Dean pushed past them and walked out into the bleak night. He gazed up at the moon and stars, the tree branches shaking in the slight breeze. "Jaye," he whispered, closing his eyes and clenching his fists, "dammit."

o0o0o0o0o

His eyelids were heavy, but he couldn't bring himself to sleep, knew that nightmares awaited him. He'd wanted to start the search right away, but Sam had stopped him, saying that they'd all be able to see things more clearly in the light of day. Dean hadn't really believed that, but he'd gone along with it just the same. What did he have to lose?

He sighed, letting his eyelids droop a little, but still refusing to allow them to close. His head snapped up as he heard the door creaking open. Yellow eyes glared at him from the darkness outside.

Without missing a beat, Dean called for his brother, but Sam didn't stir, didn't even seem to notice. He looked back at the demon. "Dream, right?"

"Bingo."

Nodding, Dean settled back against the large wooden headboard and crossed his arms over his chest. "Any particular reason you've moved on from arson to kidnapping?"

The demon walked into the room, smiling brightly, the door shutting behind it as soon as it had entered. "Look, I know you miss that sweet little girl of yours, but-"

"Where is she?"

"She's safe. For now. Sleeping, actually, as we speak. Totally oblivious. She's a really pretty little thing, you know."

"You give me my daughter back."

The demon chuckled. "Don't you even want to know why I took her?"

"Not really."

"Well, I just thought that you should know that it has absolutely _nothing_ to do with her. She's not the one I want."

"Then why take her?"

Still smiling, the demon took a seat at the foot of Dean's bed. "I want to propose a trade. Now, before you say yes, I just want you to know that I'm going to give you time to think. You'll get a whole day to talk it over with the others and consider. Aren't I generous?"

"A regular Santa Claus." Dean growled.

"There's that humor I love so much."

"What do you want?"

"It's not so much of a _what_, but more of a _who_, really. See, I want Sam. I've always wanted Sam. You were just too stubborn to let me have him."

"You want me to trade my brother for my daughter?"

"Think about it," the demon said, standing up and brushing itself off before heading toward the door, "I'm giving you plenty of time." The door swung open and the creature disappeared into the night as Dean jumped awake and looked over at his sleeping brother.

o0o0o0o0o

"Me?" Sam asked, staring across the table at his brother with wide eyes, "it wants me in exchange for Jaye?"

Dean nodded slowly, looking down at his hands in time to catch his thumbs enter round two of a major battle with each other. "Yeah, that's what it said."

"Where are we going to meet it for the trade?"

Dean's head snapped up. "You're kidding, right?"

"No. Man, this shouldn't even be an issue for you. I'm doing it."

"Shouldn't we at least come up with some kind of plan first?" Ellen asked, leaning back in her chair and gazing at the brothers.

"I can't believe you're considering this," Dean groaned.

"You want her to stay with that thing?"

"Well, no, but there's gotta be some other way. We could trap it and kill it or something."

"And how are we gonna kill it?" Sam asked, "face it, the best way to keep Jaye safe is for me to go peacefully."

The older man sighed. "Ellen's right, then. We should have a plan."

Sam shook his head. "Won't fly. It can read minds, remember?"

"Then how are we supposed to plot against it?"

"What if," Ellen suggested, "we only plan to get the Colt from it? Sam could go in with that in mind, gaining the thing's trust and sneaking off with the gun."

"You really thing that would work?"

She shrugged. "It's a cocky son of a bitch. It'll give Sammy the gun just to get the chance to take it back from us. While Sam's getting the gun, though, Dean and I can come up with something better."

Sam nodded. "Sounds good. Don't come up with a real plan until we're separated and far from the demon. Smart."

"I have my moments."

"I can't believe you're going to just walk into that's thing's grimy claws," Dean said, "but I'm going to respect you for the rest of your painfully short life because of it."

"What can I say?" Sammy shrugged, "she's family. Besides, the kid's freakin' adorable. Now, where's this rendezvous point?"

"Dunno."

"It tried to set up a trade with you but didn't tell you where the trade was happening?" Ellen asked.

Dean shrugged. "It wanted to give me time to mull it over. Said it'll be back tonight."

"Ok, then," Sam nodded, "I guess we just have to wait."

o0o0o0o0o

The sun had long ago set and Dean was restless, pacing in his motel room and watching Sammy sleep. He glanced down at his watch and cursed. It had been an hour since he'd fallen asleep and the damn thing was still ticking.

"Come on," he muttered, finally giving up his pacing and sitting down on his bed. He looked back at his watch. What was taking it so long to show? Was Dean really _that_ much fun to mess with?

In the other bed, Sam groaned and rolled over, turning his back on Dean. The elder hunter barely noticed, though. He was a little distracted, what with watching the freakin' second hand of his watch continue to tick laboriously slow and all.

He did notice when Sam muttered something and sat up in bed, scratching his head and scooting to the edge before swinging his freakishly long legs over the side and stretching. Dean narrowed his eyes, mind wandering from its last conundrum to this latest development.

It was possible that Dean was in some kind of limbo between wakefulness and sleep, and was therefore able to see everything that was going on in the room. Maybe Sam had to take a leak. Maybe Dean was over-thinking his dream in a desperate attempt to get his mind off the demon's tardiness.

"Yeah, that's probably it," the hunter sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face, "paranoid much, Dean?"

"Not paranoid," Sam answered, finally turning to face his brother, "just a little nutty."

Dean jumped, staring over at Sam, whose eyes were sickly yellow.

"Sorry I'm late," the demon grinned, standing up and stretching, "but I had a very important engagement tonight. Somebody just turned six months old. I had to wish her a happy birthday."

"Well," Dean said, standing up and facing the creature, "now that you're here-"

"There's just one thing I need to do before we can talk about our little deal," it interrupted, "see, I've been thinking, and it seems to me that you're really not getting much out of this, Dean."

"I think I'll live."

"Oh, no, no, no. It's just not fair of me to make you give up your little brother, your _responsibility_, without giving you something much greater in return."

"Honestly-"

"Let me finish. I'm willing to give you something you've always wanted, something you never thought you could have. Along with your daughter, of course."

"And what exactly would that be?"

The demon smiled, a cold expression that didn't seem to fit Sam's face. "Love," it whispered, taking a step toward him, "you won't have to be alone anymore. Even better, little Jaydin's gonna get something out of it, too. She'll finally have that mom you were too scared to find for her."

"No."

"No?" it asked, feigning shock as it back away, "you mean, you don't want to see your daughter again? You're just going to leave her with me, let me do with her what I will, all because you value the life of your brother more?"

"No, I'm not gonna let you manipulate someone into…" he trailed off.

The smile was back, still not touching those merciless eyes. "You can't even bring yourself to say it, can you? I don't blame you, really. You let someone know how you feel, they walk all over you, turn their backs, and it just hurts more. I'm offering an end to that pain. A perfect little family. Unending love. Someone to run to when times get too rough."

"I don't get to pick and choose what I get in exchange for Sammy, do I?"

"It's a package deal."

Dean nodded. "Figures."

"I thought you'd be happy. After all, you're getting so much more out of this than I was willing to offer at first. So," it walked back up to him, looking down Sam's nose and grinning wickedly, "what do you say?"

"Deal."


	8. Chapter 8

Guess who's back with a new chapter? That's right! It's me!

Wanna know what happened on my vacation? No, no, really, you'll love this story. i met another Supernatural fan. He was working in an airbrush shop in Adventureland and he made me a shirt that says "Supernatural" on it. We talked about the finale. It was cool.

And now here's what you've been waiting so patiently for (thanks again for waiting patiently, BTW)...

* * *

The car was eerily silent as it sped down the highway, heading to the spot that had been agreed upon for the exchange. "So," Dean said, finally breaking the silence, "we clear on the plan?"

Sammy nodded. "Yep. The plan is that there is no plan. Not right now, anyway."

"Right. And once it gives you the gun?"

"Contact you and tell you where to pick it up."

"And if you can't reach me?"

"Ellen. If I can't find her, Jaye, and if her line is busy, Ash. If Ash is unavailable, find someone else who's got your number. I know, Dean. Stop worrying."

"Stop worrying?" Dean scoffed, "you're kidding, right? This is probably the stupidest thing we've ever done. If it wasn't for Jaye, I wouldn't even consider it."

"Same here," Sam pointed out, "but at least we're not just blindly walking into it. We're gonna be ok."

"I hope you're right," Dean muttered as he pulled into the dusty lot that sat across from the recently-charred remnants of a two-storey house, "because we're here."

The car stopped and the doors creaked open before two dirty pairs of boots stepped out onto the lot. Two figures moved out of the cover of trees, a man in his mid-twenties with shining yellow eyes and teenage girl whose wrists had been tied behind her back and mouth had been taped shut.

"Quite a mouth this kid's got on her, Deanster," the demon remarked, nodding to the silver duct tape, "gotta watch the language around the kiddies."

Jaye glared up at him and growled something that sounded an awful lot like 'son of a bitch.'

"See? She's already got your catchphrase down."

"Just give her back," Dean said.

The demon grinned. "My my, someone's in a hurry. Can't wait to get back to your bonnie lass, huh? I understand." It winked.

"I want my daughter."

Fine," it shrugged, tossing a small coil of rope over to the hunters, "tie Sammy up and send him over. Nice and tight now, wouldn't want him breaking out and going back on our little deal. No tradsies backsies, you know."

Dean nodded and started to tie his brother's wrists behind his back. Sam didn't fight, just let it happen, at peace with what he was doing and trusting that his brother would get him out of it.

"All right," the demon said, nodding its approval, "shall we trade?" It pushed Jaye forward, making her trip. She turned back and promptly kicked it in the shin. "Ooh, spunky," it cooed as she trudged away.

Sam started walking toward the demon, winking down at Jaydin as they passed each other and he caught the look of concern in her eyes.

After what seemed an eternity, Dean dropped to his knees and was able to reach out and grab his daughter's sweatshirt, pulling her into a tight embrace. "You all right?" he whispered, pulling her closer.

Jaye coughed and he pulled away. "Right, sorry. This is gonna hurt." She rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Duh. Ready?" She nodded and he grabbed a corner of the piece of tape covering her mouth and pulled.

"Ah! Dad!"

Dean shrugged. "Told you it would hurt." He pulled her into another hug, looking over her shoulder and untying the rope that had been holding her hands. "You ok?"

"I'm fine."

"What did it do to you?"

"Nothing."

"Really?"

"No, it stole my freakin' kidney."

"Jaye."

The girl sighed. "I'm fine, dad. Really. I was out the whole time. It put me to sleep or something. How long was I gone?"

"Little more than a day," he replied, pulling back again and placing both hands on her shoulders, holding her at arm's length. "It's good to see you, though."

"You, too. I guess." She looked back over her shoulder to find the lot empty behind them. "You gave it uncle Sammy."

Dean flashed a quick smile. "Don't worry about that."

"You traded him for me, didn't you?"

"I told you not to worry about it, Jaye."

She stuffed her hands in her pockets and followed her father to the car. "You've got a plan, though, right?"

Her father shrugged. "Sure."

"You don't have a plan."

"I'm working on it."

Jaye hung her head. "He is so doomed."

o0o0o0o

The door to the motel room opened and Jaydin walked in, dragging her feet, bag of cold take-out in her hand. She wasn't really sure what to expect, didn't yet know the exact details of the deal her father had made to get her back, just knew that he was working on a plan. She wasn't sure how much her mother knew, and was wondering whether or not she should ask when she was scooped into strong arms and pulled close to a warm body.

"Mom?" she gasped, struggling to pull away.

Ellen backed up, holding the girl at arm's length and checking her over for any bumps and bruises. "You ok?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." She glanced down at the bag of food in her hand, "kinda hungry, though. You mind?"

Ellen smiled and let the girl go, watching her head into the small kitchenette. "Where's your father?"

"In the car. He said he'd get the bags if I brought in the food."

The older woman nodded and stepped out of the room and into the darkening parking lot. "What took you?" she asked as she caught sight of the Impala and the hunched figure digging through the trunk.

"The thing had Jaye knocked out or something," he explained without bothering to look up, "she hasn't eaten since it took her, so we stopped to get something. I wasn't sure what you like, but I figured a burger and fries would be a safe bet."

His head popped up as she walked around to the back of the car to help him with the bags. "It's fine. How're you?"

Dean shrugged, pulling a couple of duffles out of the trunk and tossing them onto the pavement. "I just traded one half of my family for the other," he replied, "how would you be?"

She sighed and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We'll get him back, safe and sound. Don't worry."

He pulled away from her touch, confusion flashing over his features as he caught the hurt in her eyes. "Yeah. Right." He picked up one of the bags. "Hey, grab that other one, will you?"

Ellen did as she was told, watching him as he stalked off toward the room he had been sharing with his brother. "You want to stay with us tonight?"

He stopped at the doorway, key in his hand, and turned to look at her. "What?"

She shrugged. "I just don't think you should be alone tonight."

Dean stared at her, watching her, looking for signs of a sick joke. He couldn't get the demon's words out of his head, running around as if on a loop, playing continuously, never ceasing, causing his breath to hitch in his chest as realization hit him and his heart sank. _Love. Unending love._

He slid the key through the lock and shoved the door open. He ran into the room and let the door slam, not even bothering to turn on the lights as he sank down onto the floor.

"This can't be good," he muttered, burying his head in his hands and sighing loudly as sounds of happy chatter carried over from the next room.

o0o0o0o0o

"She's beautiful," Ellen commented as she and Dean stood looking over the sleeping teen.

"Yeah," the younger hunter replied, turning towards to door to leave, "she is."

"You all right?"

He stopped with his hand on the door handle. "Fine. Just tired." He sighed, refusing to look back at her, knowing that she was staring at him, wishing that he'd just lied to his daughter and told her that he wasn't feeling well instead of giving in and having a family dinner.

"You know, that offer still stands."

Dean bit his lip, finally glancing back. "Thanks, but I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself." He opened the door and walked out into the night, breathing in the cool air.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked out into the parking lot, not really paying any attention to where he was going, just needing to clear his head. It was a stupid thing to have to do, but he had to keep reminding himself to stay focused, to keep his guard up. It wasn't real and it never would be. It was damn smart, though.

Keeping Dean distracted and happy was all part of the plan, a very clever one at that. He shook his head, looking up at the stars, and barely noticed the sound of a door opening and closing softly behind him.

He turned around as soft footsteps approached and sighed as he saw Ellen walking across the parking lot toward him. "You shouldn't leave her alone," he pointed out, turning back up toward the stars.

"I doubt anything's going to take her. That demon's pretty powerful. Nothing would risk breaking that deal you made with it."

"You should go back inside."

She shook her head. "Not a chance. We need to talk."

"About what?"

"There's something up with you," Ellen said softly, reaching out and touching his arm, "you've been avoiding me ever since you got back. I think it's pretty safe to say that if I've noticed it, Jaye's noticed it, too."

"It's nothing," he muttered, shrugging off her hand and taking a couple of steps away.

"Dean."

"I'm fine, all right." He turned to glare at her, hoping to scare her off. "Just leave me alone."

The older hunter stood her ground. "Not a chance. I'm worried about you." That hand was back on his arm, rubbing slowly up and down, weakening whatever defenses he'd struggled to build that evening, actually making him wonder if Sam was worth saving. "Just tell me what's wrong."

He shook his head. "It's not real."

"What's not?"

"This. You. Me. Remember? There's a reason we're here, in this dumpy motel, with a teenager who's dying to get to know you. Don't tell me you forgot everything."

She locked eyes with him. "I remember that I made a mistake. I'd like to try and fix it."

Dean sighed, still watching her, assessing her, wanting to give in. "I don't want to get hurt again," he whispered as she slid her hands into his.

"I'm not gonna hurt you. I love you too much for that."

He gasped, eyes widening, heart pounding, hands shaking. It wasn't right, wasn't real, but she'd said it. She'd said it, and she'd meant it. Maybe, just for a little while… if he just remembered that it was all a trick. Maybe, if he was careful, it could all be worth it. Maybe, given the chance, she would come around.

"Dean? You all right, hon?"

"You promise?" he asked, his voice barely audible.

Ellen smiled. "I promise."

Even as some sane part of Dean's mind protested, he felt himself melt. He gave up fighting, gave in to the demon's plan and his own selfish wants. "I love you, too."

* * *

Uh-oh... uh, please don't stone me now... 

One question before I leave you, though: has anyone heard the Kellie Pickler song "I wonder?" I think it's a good song for the story. Really about Jaye's relationship with her mom. Check it out if you get the time :)


	9. Chapter 9

Happy Independence Day everyone!

* * *

Dean grunted and rolled over, burying his face in his pillow in a weak attempt to escape the bright sunlight that was streaming into the room. He reached over to the other side of the bed, expecting to find a warm body there, but only found cool sheets.

Sighing, he opened his eyes and looked at the empty space beside him. Of course it was a dream. It was always a dream.

He rolled back over and sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and stretching. He sniffed, a weak attempt to clear his nose, and his eyes clouded with uncertainty. As far as he knew, he was in the room alone, but it smelled like someone was cooking something.

Dean stood up and headed for the small kitchenette. Jaye was already sitting at the table looking through an old book and chewing on her lip. She looked up as he walked in. "Morning, dad."

"What are you doing in here?"

"It's my room," she said, turning back to the book, "I could ask you that question, but I'm an early riser, so I saw. I can't believe you guys did that with me in the next bed. That's disgusting."

"We didn't do anything," Ellen commented as she walked over to the table from the stove, carrying a plate of pancakes, "honestly, Dean what are you teaching her?"

"What did we do last night?" he asked, unable to take his eyes off her as she set the table.

Ellen shrugged. "Nothing. We stood outside and talked for a while, then we came in and went to bed."

"So, you didn't sleep together?" Jaye asked, her book forgotten.

"You know, it is possible for two people to sleep together without actually _sleeping_ together," Dean pointed out, sitting down at the table and helping himself to some breakfast.

"Yeah," the girl scoffed, "sure."

Dean rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to Ellen. "So, what's with the breakfast?"

"Well, it's the most important meal of the day, so I figured we'd better do it right, especially if we're gonna spend most of our time trying to figure out how to save your brother."

"Yeah, but you could have just run out and grabbed something, I mean-"

"You can take the hunter out of the life, but you can't take the life out of the hunter, can you?"

Dean shrugged. "What can I say? I miss the microwave bean burritos."

Ellen shook her head and went to go clean up the stove, making Dean and Jaye promise not to eat everything before she got back.

"It did something to mom, didn't it?" Jaydin asked as soon as she was sure that the older woman was out of earshot.

"What would make you ask that?"

"Dad, come on. She's being _nice_ to you. I know I just met her, but tolerating you doesn't seem to be a strong point of hers. What did it do?"

He sighed. "It sprung it on me," Dean explained, "before I could make the deal. In exchange for Sam, I got you _and_ your mom. You're right. She's different, but it's not my fault. The thing wouldn't let me pick and choose what I got."

"It was a package deal," she nodded.

"Straight from the demon's mouth."

"But why?"

"It's smart. Think about it, Jaye. It wants to keep your uncle, for whatever twisted reason, and it knows that I'll try to get him back. If I'm distracted, though, I won't try as hard."

"Or," Jaydin reasoned, "you'll act like a human being for once in your life and give in to your own wants and needs, pack up the car, drive us home, and pretend that you've always been an only child."

"Excuse me?"

"Face it, dad," she sighed, looking up at him with understanding in her hazel eyes, "the demon did this for a reason. It wants to get us out of the way, and it knew that this was the best way to do it. But I want you to know that if you want to go home now, I'll totally understand. I won't think any less of you or anything. I mean, it's human nature to be selfish."

Dean leaned back in his chair and stared at her. "You're really gunning for that psych degree, aren't you, kiddo?"

"Daddy-"

"I told your uncle we're gonna save him, so we're gonna save him. We're not running off with our tails between our legs just because something came up."

"But-"

"No buts, Jaye."

"Won't saving uncle Sam break the deal? Won't it take me again and undo whatever it did to mom?"

Dean shook his head. "I'm not gonna let it take you again. Don't worry, you'll be safe."

"What about mom?"

The girl's father looked down at his plate and picked up his fork as Ellen walked back to the table and sat down beside him, smiling warmly. "That's not important," he muttered, "eat your breakfast."

o0o0o0o0o

"So," Dean began, spreading out a slew of books on the table in front of him before looking up at the other two people sitting with him, "I'm thinking we can get the gun, have Sammy lead us back to the demon, and waste it."

"Sounds pretty easy," Jaye nodded, "But if the demon can read minds, won't it know we're coming?"

"It's cocky, though," Ellen pointed out, "it might just let us get close enough to shoot it."

"Yeah, and it might use the proximity to its own advantage," the girl argued, "no offense, dad, but that's a sucky plan."

"Think you can do better?" Dean challenged.

"As a matter of fact, I do. Everywhere the demon goes, these signs pop up, right? Like, cattle mutilations and electrical storms and big swirly clouds of demon smoke with yellow eyes. So, we take the gun from uncle Sam, come back here, and wait for the signs to pop up in a new town. We go to the town, catch the SOB by surprise, and take it out."

"Yeah," her father reasoned, "that would probably work, but it would take time. I'm betting your uncle doesn't want to spend a couple of weeks with that thing unless he absolutely has to. Oh, and just so you know, abbreviating doesn't make it ok. It still means the same thing."

"You say it all the time."

"And I'm, like, old. So, tell you what, kiddo, when you're my age, you can embarrass all the sailors you want, but until then, please be a clean little girl for daddy. Ok?"

Jaye leaned back in her chair and rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"You want to add a week onto that summer grounding?"

"No, sir."

"Good girl."

Ellen cleared her throat. "Look, as much as I hate to break up a touching family moment, I think there's something important you two missed."

"What?" Dean asked, turning his attention from his daughter.

"If he calls us to go pick up the gun, it's possible that Sam might not be Sam and I think we need to prepare for that."

"What do you mean, _if_?"

"Dad, she's got a point," Jaye said, "do you really think it just wanted uncle Sam to look at and occasionally poke? It might possess him. He might give us the gun and then turn on us."

"I'm not gonna shoot my brother."

"I know," Ellen said, reaching across the table and grabbing Dean's hand, "but we've at least got to have a plan. Some kind of back-up. Plan B."

Dean nodded. "What, though? We need to kill the demon and get Sam out of this alive. I'm not seeing many options here."

"What about an exorcism?" Jaydin asked, "one that won't send it back to Hell, just get it out of a body. There's gotta be something like that, right?"

"Something to make it manifest itself?" Ellen clarified, "there probably is, but we'd have to find it first."

Dean stood up and crossed the room, heading to the chair where they'd set Sam's duffle bag. He pulled it open and began digging through it, pushing aside guns and knives, old books and tattered fast food wrappers. Finally, he straightened up and pulled something out, holding it up triumphantly like it was the answer to their every problem.

"What's that?" Jaye asked, wrinkling her nose at the beat-up old book that her father slammed down on the table before sitting back down.

"That would be your inheritance," he grinned.

"An old book?"

"An old _journal_. Your grandpa's, actually. Everything he knew about every evil thing is in this book. Your uncle and I added a little bit, too, when we came across something new."

"Grandpa's journal? How's that gonna help?"

"It's going to help," Dean said, "by giving us the kind of exorcism you described. See, back in '05, Sammy and I went up against a demon that was taking down planes and killing all of the survivors. The exorcism we used had two parts, one to make the demon manifest, and one to send it back to Hell."

"That's perfect," Ellen said, "we use the first part to get the demon out of your brother and then we shoot it."

"Exactly. The only problem is that by forcing it to manifest, we make it temporarily stronger. Whoever pulls the trigger has to be dead-on."

"Then mom'll read and you'll shoot," Jaye reasoned, "you've got great aim. Last time you took me shooting you hit every target dead-on."

"You took her shooting?" Ellen asked, turning expectant eyes on Dean, waiting for an explanation.

"Well," he stuttered, "um, you see… practice makes perfect?"

She nodded. "Smart move. You're like a boy scout, you know, always prepared."

Dean shrugged. "I try. So, we've got a plan, here? If worse comes to worse, we read and shoot." Everyone nodded. "All righty, then. I guess now we just have to sit back and wait for the phone to ring."


	10. Chapter 10

All right. Once again, I'd like to thank the people who are reading and reviewing. Now, to torture Dean some more!

* * *

Shadows danced across the walls as soft snores filled the room and Dean stared up at the dark ceiling, mind reeling, heart aching. He felt Ellen shift beside him and moaned. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. Why did he always have to be the one to choose? His own happiness or what was best for Sam, that was what it always came down to in the end, whether the struggle was with Stanford, a djinn, or his own heart. That was it. He could be happy, or his brother could be happy. There was no in-between. One or the other, for the rest of his life. All the marbles.

It wasn't a contest, not really. It was always Sam because, well, he was Sam. Nothing more to it. He'd never asked for the life, never asked to lose his childhood, never asked to have everything taken away from him. As far as Dean was concerned, the kid needed a little happiness in his life.

Yeah. He just kept telling himself that. It was for Sam. It had to be done. No buts about it.

"You all right?"

Dean jumped, startled, and looked beside him. Ellen was propped up on one elbow, gazing at him with concern on her face. "Fine. Just thinking."

"We're gonna get him back."

"Yeah. I know." He sighed and stared back up at the ceiling, at the flickers of light dancing across it. He'd been in a million motels in his lifetime, and after a while they all started to look the same. The ceilings were the same. The walls were the same. The feeling that came from going to bed with someone else in the room and waking up alone never changed, either, and in his life he'd gotten used to it.

Ellen settled in beside him, reaching over and laying an arm across his chest. "It'll work out," she whispered.

"Hope so," he muttered, laying his head against hers. "Can you do me a big favor?"

"Maybe. It depends on what you want."

He swallowed. "It's gonna sound corny, but I want you to be here when I wake up."

"Where else would I be?"

"No, I mean in bed. You know what, it's stupid, ok? Just forget I said anything. Go back to sleep."

"Wait a minute," she said, stopping him as he tried to roll away, "it's not stupid. I'll be here. There any reason why?"

Dean looked over at her, suddenly realizing just how deep he was into this thing, how hard it would be to dig himself out. He could just close his eyes, could ignore her, could remember that none of it was real and this was the stuff that blackmail was made of, or he could take advantage of a good situation when it was presented to him. Maybe he could get something, just once, just a little bit of comfort.

"I don't want to be alone anymore," he whispered, wrapping an arm around her and meeting her eyes, "I'm tired of it. Just for one day…"

Ellen nodded. "Ok, then."

"That's it? _Ok_?"

"Yeah," she snuggled up beside him, "but you have to make breakfast."

Dean grinned. "Done."

o0o0o0o0o

The air was still and silent as Dean forced his eyes open. He'd fallen asleep thinking about the morning ahead, about the days ahead, about how he should be a little smarter, not give in to temptation, just say no.

He glanced over at the spot in the bed beside him and saw that Ellen was gone. Bathroom, probably. Yeah, she'd gone to the bathroom.

He sat up, unsuccessfully stifling a large yawn, and looked over at Jaye's bed. The covers were rumpled and obviously slept in, but the teen was nowhere to be seen.

"Hello?" Dean called out, looking toward the bathroom, "guys? Where'd you go?"

He waited for a minute, straining his ears, but heard nothing. Not even crickets. That was bad.

Still sitting up in bed, the hunter searched the room, looking for signs of struggle or anything unusual. Nothing was out of place. The only odd thing he could spot was the slight smell of rotten eggs that was undoubtedly wafting from the trashcan, the remnants of a breakfast not quite finished.

That was when he felt it. A small drip, something wet and sticky hitting the top of his head and sliding down the side of his face. "What the-?" Another one, a large plop and that tickling sensation as it traced its way down the back of his neck.

Dean reached back to wipe whatever was dripping on him away. He looked at his hand, at the shining crimson liquid that was smeared across it, and his eyes went wide. It was blood, he could see it as clear as day thanks to the flickering light coming from the ceiling.

He looked up, instantly regretting the decision as he found Ellen plastered above him, mouth open in a silent scream, eyes wide with terror, flames radiating from her body as she burned up right before his eyes.

o0o0o0o0o

Dean sat up straight in bed, gasping for breath as his eyes flew open and he bit back a scream. He searched the room, eyes wide as they roved over the darkness, taking everything in. He stared at his daughter's bed, squinting to make out the shape of a sleeping body under the covers. He sighed and buried his face in his hands. Just a dream. Only just a dream.

He bit back another scream as a soft hand touched his shoulder. Swallowing hard, he turned around to see Ellen, alive and well, sitting beside him.

"You all right?" she asked.

"I don't know," he said slowly, "I don't…"

"Nightmare?"

"Yeah."

"The demon?"

He forced a grin. "Guess you could say that."

"You want to talk about it?"

"I woke up and everyone was gone," he muttered, scrubbing a hand over his face and averting his eyes, "it took her and killed you and that was it."

"We're not going anywhere," Ellen assured, wrapping her arms around him, trying to comfort him, "and as soon as Sam calls, we won't have to worry about that demon anymore. It'll all be over."

"Yeah," Dean nodded, still not looking at her, "all of it will be over. Every. Last. Bit."

"That's the spirit," she smiled, obviously not catching his morbid tone, the way he pulled away from her touch, the way he refused to look at her. She laid back down, turning her back to him. "Now get some sleep. You'll feel better in the morning."

Dean sighed and scooted back under the covers, putting as much space between himself and Ellen as possible. It would all be over as soon as the demon was gone. Sam would either go back to hunting or go back to college, Ellen would hate him, and Jaye would undoubtedly spend summer at the Roadhouse. That would leave Dean with a few straight months of quality time with himself, quality time he could really do without.


	11. Chapter 11

Short chapter, but I promise that the next one will be good and long (I think).

* * *

"It's noon," Jaydin reported as she stared out the window into the parking lot, "it's noon, and I'm so bored that I can't feel my brain."

"It's noon," Dean agreed as he flipped through his father's journal, "it's noon and you're still grounded, no matter how much you complain."

"That rhymed."

"So?"

"My mind needs to be stimulated."

"Read a book, then."

"Books are for school."

"Count the cracks in the wall."

"What room do you think this is," Jaye scoffed, "1408? There _aren't_ any cracks in the wall."

Dean shrugged. "Make up a story in your head."

"What kind of story?"

"I dunno," he muttered between clenched teeth, starting to get annoyed, "what kind of story do you want to make up?"

"Once upon a time," the teenager began, "there was an evil king who kept his daughter locked up in a crappy motel room while they waited for her uncle to call and tell them where to pick up a magic gun that would kill an evil dragon. When the call didn't come, the princess went all 'Shining' on the king and hacked him up into little pieces with a coquet mallet. The moral of the story? Grounding your children will turn them into killers."

"It wasn't a croquet mallet, it was a roque mallet, and you won't be killing anybody." He tossed the journal to her, "read up on exorcisms. Just don't lose my place. I've got the one we need marked."

Jaye rolled her eyes as she slumped down onto the floor by the window and cracked open the journal. "Dude," she exclaimed after a few minutes of squinting at a page, "your dad wrote like freakin' Yoda!"

Dean grinned as the door opened and Ellen walked in with a greasy bag of food in her hands. "I can't believe you're making us eat this again," she muttered as she set the food down on the table, "if the demon doesn't get us, the clogged arteries will."

"That's optimistic," Dean quipped as he helped spread the food out on the table.

"That's medical science."

"In a couple of years they'll be able to keep people alive forever. So carpe diem and stuff your face."

"It's a wonder you're not taken," Jaye grinned, sliding into a chair and tossing the journal onto one of the beds.

"I really could add another week to your boredom sentence," her father threatened, smiling.

Jaye ducked her head to hide a grin and pulled a greasily-wrapped burger a little closer to her seat. "Yes, sir."

Dean grabbed a container of fries and had only just popped a handful into his mouth when his phone started to ring on the dresser. Wiping salt off his hands, he stood up and crossed the room, picking up the phone and checking the caller id. "It's Sam."

The room fell silent as he flipped the phone open. "Hello?"

"Dean," the voice on the other end muttered, sounding genuinely relieved, "man, it's great to hear your voice."

"Same here. You got it?"

"Yeah," Sam replied, "the thing handed it over when I asked. It dared me to shoot it right then and there, but it promised that if I missed it would… do some things. I got the gun, though."

"Great, and you can get away?"

"Sure thing. I was thinking that we could meet up around six this evening in that old lot where you made the trade. Sound good?"

"Sounds perfect," Dean grinned, "and don't worry. We're not totally winging it. We'll get you out."

"Good," Sam sighed, "good, because this… this isn't working for me. Look, the thing stepped out for a minute to do some recon or something, but it'll be back. I can't take too long here. See you at six?"

Dean nodded. "Six it is. Don't worry, Sammy, we'll get you back."

"Never doubted that."

The line clicked and went dead. Stuffing his phone in his pocket, relieved that nothing too bad had happened to his little brother, Dean turned to face Jaye and Ellen. "The abandoned lot we made the trade in," he reported, "six o'clock tonight. Let's get ready."

o0o0o0o0o

"Are you sure this is sanitary?" Jaydin asked as she sat cross-legged on the floor, watching as her father surrounded her with salt.

Dean shrugged. "Nothing's ever sure, kiddo." He walked over to the duffle and pulled out another carton of salt before going back to carefully covering up the lines he'd painted on the motel carpet.

"You really think this'll keep me safe?" She asked.

"Of course. The salt should keep out most of the creeps working for this thing, and on the off-chance that it decides to take vengeance into its own grimy claws, the Devil's Trap will keep it away. You'll be fine."

Jaye sighed, glancing out the window to the car, where her mother was sitting and skimming over the exorcism. "Will you?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Come on, dad. There's still time. We can head home and pretend this whole thing never happened."

"I told you before, Jaye, I'm not gonna leave your uncle with that thing."

"Why not?"

"Because it's wrong. Because he's my brother. Because saving him is the right thing to do. Because he deserves a chance to live his life. Do want me to keep going, because I can. Which is another reason."

She smirked. "Wouldn't it be because you can't?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "I'm going to leave and when I come back your uncle's gonna be with me. No arguments. You stay in that spot until then, you got it?"

"Stay inside the magic salt," she nodded, "got it."

"Good." He grabbed the duffle and threw it over his shoulder, glancing back into the room as he opened the door and walked out into the warm evening air and towards his car.


	12. Chapter 12

A lot of people are questioning Jaye's motives and love of her dear uncle Sammy. I totally understand that, and I want to make something clear.

She's thirteen. Teenagers don't tend to think through the long-term consequences of their actions. Also, you have to remember that Sam up and left when she was five. He'd lived with her and her dad until that time and to just leave and only come back for holidays might have hurt her (and her father). Dean's the one who raised her, therefore she's got a strogner bond with him and maybe wants him to be happy for once and think about hismelf.

Lemme catch my breath for a minute...

She also acts a lot like him because it was just the two of them. There's that loyalty and devotion to family. The guy who stuck with her and actually raised her is maybe a little more important to her than the guy who left (abandonment issues, much?). She loves her uncle, she really does, there's just a lot of stuff going on. And did anyone consider the possibility that getting Sam back would send her right back into the demon's grimy claws?

Just some stuff to have in the back of your minds...

Well, now that my rant is done, let's get on to the good-part, shall we?

* * *

Tree branches rustled and leaves swirled around his feet as Dean stood in the middle of the vacant lot and looked around, waiting for Sam. The charred shell of the house across the street had been torn down, leaving only a pile of ashes that blew across the road, dotting the dirt with black dust.

The hunter glanced back toward the trees, where Ellen was waiting for her cue, waiting for something to go wrong, waiting for the worst possible thing to happen. She was waiting for Sam's eyes to change.

Footsteps sounded from the street and Dean turned in time to see Sam walking towards him with a large smile on his face. "Man, is it good to see you," the younger brother gushed as he approached, "you have no idea what that thing's been making me do. I sure hope you guys have a plan to get me out of this."

"You really think I'd tell you we did if we didn't?"

Sammy shrugged. "Kind of."

"Well, we've got one. And it's a damn good one, so don't worry."

"Why am I not buying this?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Just trust me. You got the gun?"

Sam nodded and pulled the gun out of the inside pocket of his jacket. "Here you go," he said, handing it over to his brother, "just promise me you'll hurry up and use it, all right? I'm really not enjoying my little vacation."

"Yeah, sure, all right. How long can you stand to stay? Maybe the two of us could come up with something better than what the Estrogen Brigade helped me cook up back at the motel."

"It's not gonna take long for that thing to realize I'm gone, Dean."

"You ran away?"

"Yeah."

Dean blinked. "You asked it for the gun, it handed the gun over, and then you ran away?"

"Yeah, I did," Sam nodded, "what was I supposed to do?"

"You could have just asked it if you could give us the gun. If it can read minds, it probably knew that's what you were going to do anyway."

Sam shrugged. "Guess the thought just didn't cross my mind. Now, I've got to get back. We're staying in some old abandoned warehouse on the east side of town. Boarded-up windows, door hanging off the hinges, you can't miss it." He turned and started to walk away.

"Just how stupid do you think I am?" Dean asked, cocking the gun and aiming it at his brother's back.

Sam let out a rough bark of laughter, turning slowly back toward his brother. "You really want me to answer that, Dean?" he asked as his eyes turned from green to bright yellow.

"Figures," Dean muttered as the demon stalked back up to him.

"Come on," it grinned, "you knew this was gonna happen. You're prepared for it, at least. Got your lady-love waiting for me in the bushes. Got a little exorcism planned. Got your daughter locked up safe and sound. What you didn't count on, though, was the fallout."

"What fallout?"

The grin turned into a wicked smirk, an evil expression that contorted Sam's features and made him almost unrecognizable. "You kill me, and the hold I have on your baby's momma dies, too. Pity, isn't it? Always having to sacrifice your own wants for your brother. Tell you what, I'll let you walk away now, no harm done to anyone, if you just put that gun away."

"What about Sam?"

"You really think I'd do anything to ruin this fine packaging? He's strong, he's smart, he's well-trained. All of that is mine now. I'm not gonna hurt him."

"Oh, well," Dean scoffed, "that makes it all right, then."

"You're really willing to shoot me and give up everything I've given you?"

"You haven't given me anything."

"No?" the demon asked, inching closer, again looking down Sam's nose at Dean and smiling, "I've given you what you want most. I gave you something you thought you could never have. The ability to love and be loved back for more than a couple of drunken hours. That's what you wanted, isn't it? Someone to stay because they _wanted_ to, not because they felt obligated. Huh? You don't ever have to wake up alone again, and all you have to do is give up your brother. It's a good deal, if you ask me. He certainly wouldn't have stuck around."

Dean ducked his head, looking down at the pattern the blowing ash had made at his feet. "Ellen," he said softly.

"That's right," the demon nodded. "Ellen. She's never going to leave you, never going to hurt you. Not again."

Dean looked up, meeting the merciless yellow eyes, and smirked as Ellen walked out of the cover of the trees, already reading the exorcism.

"You do know," the demon growled, "that this means war."

o0o0o0o0o

"Stupid, selfless," Jaydin muttered as she sat on the floor, looking around the room, "can't believe him. Nothing for himself. The jerk." She shook her head, sniffling as the room filled with the smell of rotten eggs and a fine yellow powder gathered by the windows and door.

o0o0o0o0o0o

"Every war has to end sometime," Dean observed as the demon screamed in pain, "and there are always some big casualties. Hitler, Saddam, you."

The demon smirked. "Jaydin."

Dean's eyes went wide as Sam's head snapped back and the demon billowed up out of his mouth and into the sky as lightning flashed overhead.

o0o0o0o0o

"Great," Jaye muttered, rolling her eyes and pulling her knees up to her chest, "just what I need today. Another freakin' demon attack."

The door to the room slammed suddenly open, sending a light breeze into the room that threatened to break the salt lines surrounding the teen. Outside the room, a band of people was milling around, pacing in the parking lot and sneering in at the girl, their black eyes sparkling mercilessly.

o0o0o0o0o

Sam sank to his knees as rain pounded down around them and Ellen ran up to join the group. Dean raised the gun and aimed, his face set and determined, every selfish fiber of his being screaming at him to quit while he was ahead.

He pulled the trigger.

o0o0o0o0o

The fire started on the ceiling above the bed that her parents had been sharing for the past two nights and quickly started to spread as the demons outside the room began to call to her. Jaye turned her head, looking up at the fire sprinkler, waiting for the alarm to go off as the fire engulfed the room. Nothing happened.

She turned back to the fire, watching as it devoured the room. Something wasn't right.

Sparing a glance out the door at her hopeful demonic escort, the girl reached down and pulled off her sock, tossing it into the flames and watching as nothing happened to it.

"Figures," she muttered, smirking triumphantly. "You guys are gonna have to do a hell of a lot better than a fake fire if you want to get your hands on me," she called out the door.

The group stopped its pacing as every mouth opened wide and the gaggle of demons rocketed into the sky, heading off in every direction and screaming at the defeat of their father. The motel room door slammed shut and the fire faded out as Jaye sat hugging her knees to her chest and shaking her head.

o0o0o0o0o

An inhuman shriek filled the air as the bullet hit its mark and the yellow-eyed demon took its dying breaths. Thunder shook the ground as rain created divots in the muck around them and the large cloud of smoke that hung overhead flashed and dispersed, settling to the ground around the hunters.

Dean dropped the now-useless Colt in time to catch Ellen as she started to fall. He struggled for a minute before getting her into his arms and carrying her to the car. Carefully, he slid her into the backseat, hoping against hope that demons really did lie.

He trekked through the muck again to where Sam was kneeling, blinking groggily. "What happened?" the younger man asked.

"How much do you remember?"

Sammy shook his head. "Everything," he moaned as his head fell toward his chest.

"Great," Dean sighed, helping his brother up and walking him to the car, where he practically collapsed into the passenger seat.

Dean journeyed onto the lot again to retrieve the Colt. He grabbed the gun, running a hand over it to wipe some of the mud off before tossing it into the trunk and climbing in behind the wheel.


	13. Chapter 13

Short chapter, but the fallout's fun. Oh, and I'd like top give a quick shoutout to preg019, who is faithfully reading while expecting. Congrats on the baby!

* * *

By the time the Impala had pulled into the motel parking lot all three of its occupants were wide awake and dead silent. Dean cut the engine and started to open his door when a cold voice from the backseat stopped him.

"We need to talk," Ellen hissed.

"Sammy," Dean suggested quietly, "why don't you head into the room and help Jaye pack up? Maybe make sure she's all right, too, ok?"

Sam nodded, pushing the door open and practically running into the room Dean had pointed to. The older man made sure the room door was closed and locked before he stepped out of the car and headed for the other room they'd rented.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ellen asked, following him.

"If you're gonna kill me, I'd rather you not do it in the car. Poor baby's seen enough of my blood in her lifetime. I don't want to scar her." He pulled the door open and stepped in, flipping on the lights. "So, how much of the past couple of days do you remember?"

"All of it," Ellen muttered, shutting the door.

"I was afraid you were going to say that," Dean sighed as he started walking around the room and packing up his things in his suitcase. "What do you want to talk about?"

"You even have to ask? How could you do that to me?"

"I didn't do anything!"

"You let that thing manipulate me."

"I didn't have a choice," Dean defended, "it wasn't gonna let me off easy."

"What are you talking about?"

"Before I could make the deal, it threw something else into the pot. It offered you up. I tried to back out, I really did, but it wouldn't let me pick and choose what I got. You have to believe me, Ellen. I wouldn't have done it unless I didn't have a choice."

She stared at him, appraising him, looking for holes in the story. "You seemed awfully happy for someone who didn't want to do it."

"What was I supposed to do?"

"Try not taking advantage of me. Try keeping your distance. Try not getting our daughter's hopes up that mommy and daddy can work things out and we can be a happy family. Any of the above would have been great, Dean."

"I didn't take advantage of you-"

"You slept with me."

Dean rolled his eyes. "I didn't sleep with you. I mean, we were in the same bed, yeah, but we didn't _sleep_ together. We're not gonna have to introduce Jaye to her little brother or sister anytime soon, so I don't see what the problem is."

"The problem is you. You just can't give up on it. Jaye talks about you like you're a saint, but she doesn't even know the half of it, does she? She has no idea how selfish you are."

"_I'm_ selfish?" he barked, "that's a laugh. Just because I wanted my daughter to be safe, that makes me selfish?"

"Manipulating people for your own twisted ends makes you selfish."

"Are you still on that? Man, Ellen, you have no idea how wrong you are. Maybe part of it was for me, sure, but not all of it, not by a long shot."

"Who was it for, then?" she asked, "Jaye? Because getting her hopes up and then ripping her family apart is such a good thing?"

"No. It was… it was because of you, ok?"

"Me? How did I possibly benefit from you working with a demon to make me fall in love with you? How did you taking advantage of me help?"

Dean sighed, hanging his head. "Because you really did love me," he said softly, "you promised."

"You're sick. None of it was real."

He nodded. "Yeah, I know. But I didn't think that mattered."

"How could that not matter? In what twisted universe could that not matter? What could have possessed you to do what you did?"

"I didn't want to break your heart," he whispered, turning and heading out of the room and into the parking lot as the pounding rain slowed to a light drizzle.

o0o0o0o

"They stopped yelling," Jaye noted as she folded up a shirt and tucked it into her suitcase, "think mom killed him?"

Sam shook his head, glancing out the window to see Dean standing in the rain and looking up at the cloudy sky. "Stay here," he muttered, heading out the door and into the darkening night.


	14. Chapter 14

Ok guys, it's another short chapter, but this scene is the whole reason I wrote the story. Hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Ellen sat down on the bed and scrubbed a hand over her face. She didn't look up as the door opened, figuring it was Sam coming in for his stuff, or maybe even Dean gearing up for round two.

"Mom?"

Ellen's head snapped up as she heard the door close and saw Jaydin standing there, staring at her. "Hey, honey. You ok?"

Jaye shrugged. "I guess. You?"

"I've been better."

"You and dad hate each other again?"

The older woman nodded. "I guess so."

"All right." She turned to leave.

"Jaye?"

The girl spun back around. "Yeah mom?"

"I've been meaning to ask you something. Um, your dad and I discussed it before you were taken, and he was ok with it then. I think he still is."

"What?" Jaydin asked, knowing what was coming.

"How would you like to spend the rest of the summer with me at the Roadhouse? I think it could be fun. We could hang out and get to know each other better. What do you say?"

Jaye smiled, her eyes sparkling. "You know what? A couple of weeks ago, I probably would have taken you up on that. A couple of _days_ ago, I would have taken you up on that."

"But now?"

"Things change. I know that, because you changed. You didn't want me at first, did you? That's why dad took me. It wasn't because you thought something might happen, it was because you didn't think you loved him and you didn't want to have his kid. I'm ok with that. I am. You want me now, and that's cool. But you have to know that you can't just come back thirteen years after threatening my little unborn life, say that you like who I've grown up to be, and decide to steal me away from my father."

"You know," Ellen said softly, "you don't have to do this for him. It's got nothing to do with him. You've always wanted a mother, Jaye, and now you can have one."

"That's the thing," the teen argued, "I've always had a mother. I had dad. He was a better mom to me than you could ever hope to be. I used to go home in tears because my friends all bragged about how they had tea parties and played Barbies and dressed-up with their moms and I was never gonna get to do that. You know what he did?"

Ellen shook her head. "I have a feeling you're about to tell me, though."

"He had tea parties with me," Jaye laughed, "he actually played dress-up with me. We played with Barbies. He even did _voices._ He drove me to ballet class. He learned how to braid hair. He let me have a Princess birthday party. I made him wear a tiara. It had pink feathers on it. People took pictures. He went out and bought me dresses. He lets me have slumber parties with all my annoying little friends. He watches chick-flicks with me while he rubs my stomach when it's that special time of the month. He helped me paint my room _pink_ for crying out loud! And where were you?"

"Jaydin-"

"No. You were a couple of hours away in your precious bar with your favorite daughter. You were blissfully pretending that I never happened and that I'd never wonder about you. I started asking dad about you when I was four, and that hurt him. I mean, a year earlier or later and it probably wouldn't have been so bad, but… he was four when his mom died and it hit him hard when I started asking. But you didn't care, because you had blondie to take care of."

"I-"

"And the past couple of days? That just wasn't fair. I begged dad to walk away with us and never look back, and he didn't. He could still be happy right now. You could still be all googoo-eyed. Just think about that."

"Is that a no, then?"

"What do you think?" Jaye sneered, crossing her arms over her chest.

Ellen nodded. "All right. You should let your dad know."

"I will. Don't worry." She turned to walk out, but stopped at the door. "Just out of curiosity," she asked, "where do you think those feelings came from?"

"What?"

Jaye turned around, hand still on the doorknob. "Come on, mom. You're smarter than that. Demons can't conjure emotion out of the blue. You love him. Deep down, you love him. It pulled that to the surface. You just don't want to admit it. The kicker, though, is that he still loves you, and he probably always will, and no matter how many times you come back and hurt him, he's still gonna forgive you. That's just the way dad works." She pulled the door open and walked out.


	15. Chapter 15

Sorry about the length of the chapter. I know it's short, but I promise that the next one will be longer. It will also be the last one. Time flies, huh?

* * *

"This is your stop," Dean said, forcing a grin as the Impala pulled up outside the Roadhouse. Ellen nodded and slid out of the car. Sighing, the hunter followed her, grabbing the keys and heading around to the trunk to get her bags. "So," he began as he popped open the trunk and started digging for her bags, "we ever gonna see you again?"

"Probably not."

"Shame. I think Jaye would really like it."

"I think you're wrong," Ellen replied, grabbing her bags and heading off toward the building.

"Bye," Dean called out as she slammed the front door.

He closed the trunk and headed around to the front of the car, sliding back in behind the wheel. He turned to look at his daughter, who had climbed over the seat and now sat beside him. "You guys have some sort of blow-out?"

Jaye shrugged. "I guess I just figured out that I haven't really been missing much."

Dean shook his head. "Whatever." He started the car. "So, twenty bucks says your uncle was lying about going back to school."

"You think he's gonna keep hunting?"

Dean shrugged. They'd said their good-byes to Sam at the motel, waving as he thanked them, promised to call, and said he'd send a postcard from Wussy State. "It's hard to ditch your heritage."

"You did an ok job of it."

He turned to her. "Did you miss the past couple of days or something?"

"Up until this week, you've done a pretty good job of it," Jaye corrected, leaning forward to turn on the radio as father and daughter headed home.

o0o0o0o0o

Ellen sat at the bar, running her hands over the scratched surface, lost in thought.

_"You Promise?"_

_"Demons can't conjure emotion out of the blue."_

_"I don't want to be alone anymore."_

_"You love him."_

_"What about what _I_ want?"_

_"Deep down, you love him."_

_"I didn't want to break your heart."_

_"You just don't want to admit it."_

She shook her head, desperate to clear it. It wasn't possible. She'd spent almost fourteen years denying it, hating him, hating herself, so it couldn't be true.

"Mom?"

Ellen jumped, expecting to see Jaye standing behind her, but instead found Jo. "Hey."

"When did you get back?"

"Just now."

Jo slid onto a stool beside her mother. "You get the demon?"

The older woman nodded. "We did."

"That's great."

"Yeah." She paused, wondering if it was the right time, the right thing to do, if it would ever be right. "Jo, honey, I've got something I need to tell you. I've should have told you a long time ago."

"What?"

Ellen sighed. "It's about Dean's little girl. It's about Jaydin."

"What? Mom, what is it?"

She looked at her daughter, her oldest daughter, and finally told the truth.


	16. Chapter 16

Well, this is the final chapter. No plans for a sequel, though I am halfway through my next story, called "The One."

I'd really like to thank everyone who's been reading and reviewing and making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. You guys rock!

Well, here it is:

* * *

Dean gently nudged his daughter's shoulder, pulling her from a light slumber as they pulled into their neighborhood. "We're home," he whispered as she stretched and yawned.

"What time is it?"

"Way too early," he smirked.

"You drove all night?"

Dean shook his head. "I dozed."

She socked him in the shoulder. "Dork."

He grinned. "Dipwad."

The Impala's headlights swept over their driveway, illuminating a car and a tall figure leaning up against it. "What the fu-" he glanced down at Jaye, who was watching him with expectant eyes, "uh, Friday. It's Friday, darn it, we missed 'Grey's' reruns again."

"Nice save," the teen nodded, "but I know what you were gonna say."

Dean rolled his eyes as the car pulled to a stop and he opened the door, walking up to the tall stranger and wrapping his arms around the man. "Thought you were headed to school," he said as Sam pulled out of the awkward hug and Jaydin joined them.

Sammy shrugged. "Nah. I missed you guys and your dysfunctional-ness too much."

"_Dysfunctional-ness?_" Jaye asked, "and you got into Stanford?"

"Full-ride, sweetheart. You sound surprised."

"It's not like I'm doubting your smartitude or anything," the girl grinned, "but with a vocabulary like that you should have gotten your persqueeter kicked on tests."

Dean cocked an eyebrow. "For the record, that last one was mine. She stole it."

Sam nodded. "Don't worry, we all know you're the king of making up words."

"All I want is a little recognition," the older man grinned as he went back to the car to grab their bags.

"So, you're really staying?" Jaye asked as she expertly ignored her father's exaggerated grunts of pain as he pretended to struggle with the bags.

"I am," Sam confirmed, "I think it's time to finally settle down for good."

"Great," Dean said through gritted teeth as he staggered to the front door, "'cause we kept your room exactly the way you like it. Freakishly clean."

"You're too kind."

o0o0o0o0o0o

"She really is a pretty girl," Sammy commented as he and his brother looked in on Jaye, who had finally been forced to go to bed and get some sleep.

Dean nodded. "I'm gonna have a lot of trouble with boys, huh?"

"Especially if she's anything like you."

The older man shuddered. "Don't even talk like that."

The brothers turned away from the open door and headed back to the living room. "So," Dean asked as they headed down the stairs, "what made you want to come back?"

Sam shrugged. "I dunno, man. I missed you guys. It gets lonely out on that road."

"Yeah. And it had nothing to do with that little breakdown of mine you happened to witness in the parking lot, huh?"

"You knew I was there?"

"You are many things, Sam, but stealthy isn't one of them. Want a beer?"

"Yeah. So, what exactly was that about? In the lot, I mean. You seemed upset. Just standing there until…"

"Until I let forth that primal scream that scared you so much you wet yourself?" Dean asked, walking out of the kitchen with a couple of bottles of beer.

"I was gonna say until you wailed like a banshee, but if you heard something different…"

The older man smirked, plopping down on the couch. "I dunno. You heard the demon. All that schmaltz about love. I guess for a while there I thought something might work out."

Sam nodded. "And it didn't?"

"You hear her yell at me?"

"And then it got freakishly quiet, yeah. Jaye thought you were dead."

"I thought she was gonna kill me, too."

The men sat in silence for a moment, staring straight ahead, waiting for the moment to pass. When it didn't, Dean spoke up again. "I guess I thought maybe it was wrong. Maybe whatever it did wouldn't wear off if I killed it. Or maybe she'd come to her senses and realize she'd been wrong about me. Maybe she'd actually fall in love with me. Crazy, right?"

"Not really," Sam said, shaking his head, "just human. And that's a good thing, given our line of work."

"_Your_ line of work, maybe," Dean grinned, "I wrangle kids at a day care."

"We're both dealing with monsters," the younger man pointed out, "mine have claws and fangs, and yours have sticky fingers and crap in their pants. It's easy to lose your emotional side in that environment."

"Whatever," Dean laughed, settling back onto the couch and propping his feet up on a coffee table as the day's chick-flick's credits began to roll.

o0o0o0o0o

Dean was roused from a light slumber by a knocking at the door. He looked over to find Sam asleep with his mouth open, half-finished bottle of beer still held in his hand. Slowly, the older man pushed himself off the couch and moved toward the door.

"Whatever you're selling," he began as he wrenched open the door, "we're not… Ellen?"

"Hi, Dean."

The hunter rubbed his eyes and blinked, not really believing what he was seeing. Ellen was standing on his front stoop, her eyes down, foot tapping nervously. "What are you doing here?"

"I was thinking," she said softly, "that it's really not right to make Jaye choose. She's always wanted a mother, but it was wrong of me to want to take her from you after thirteen years of trying to keep you both away. I can't come back after saying that I didn't want her and expect you to just give her away."

"Yeah?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry. I was thinking that, if it was all right with you, maybe I could stay here for a while. Try to work things out."

"After everything?"

"That wasn't your fault."

"What?" he asked, his jaw almost hitting the floor.

"I did some thinking. I've kind of been a bitch." She looked up at him. "If you don't want anything to do with me, I understand, but I would like to be part of my daughter's life."

Dean stared down at her, surprised to find sincerity on her face. "Your bags in the car?"

Ellen smiled. "Yeah, yeah. You want me to get them?"

"No, it's all right. Head on in, just be kind of quiet. Everyone's asleep."

"Everyone?"

"Sam's here, too," Dean grinned as he headed out to the cars, "I guess you guys are gonna have to fight over the guest room."

She chuckled as she walked into the living room and looked around. Sam was passed out on the couch with a bottle of beer in one hand. There were pictures of the family spread around the room, and a dead plant sat on top of the TV.

"You know," Sam muttered, shocking her, "if you hurt him again-"

"I won't. Not this time."

He smirked. "Why don't I believe you?"

Ellen opened her mouth to reply as the front door banged shut and Dean stumbled into the room. "As you can see," he smiled, "Sammy's a little incapacitated at the moment, which means you can have the guest room for now. I still want to see you two duke it out over who gets it long-term, though. Might even sell tickets."

She nodded. "Thanks."

"No problem," he shrugged, "can I just ask you one thing, though? What are you gonna tell Jo about this?"

"That was two questions," she pointed out, "and Jo's been taken care of. I actually told her the truth before I left."

"Oh? And, uh, how'd she react."

"She called me a whore and threw me out."

"Ouch."

"Could have been worse," Ellen shrugged as they headed up the stairs, "so, you've only got one extra room?"

"Yep."

"Where's your room?"

"Opposite end of the hall from the guest room," Dean replied, "Jaye's room is in-between. I can give you the tour after I get some sleep. Drove all night to get home, you know."

She nodded. "What size bed do you have?"

"In the guest room?"

"No. Yours."

"Um, it's a queen. Old habits are hard to break, I guess."

"So, two people could fit into it?"

"Sure," he shrugged, dropping the bags as they reached the top of the staircase, "why?"

Ellen smiled, reaching out tentatively and brushing a hand down his arm. Dean stared at her, reading her, knowing suddenly what she meant. He wanted to believe it, he really did, but he'd learned. Nothing good ever came easy, and he wasn't about to make the same mistake again.

He grinned, picking up the bags and turning to walk down the hall. "The guest room's this way," he said, nodding off toward the closed door, "I think you'll like it."

* * *

The End.

So, any final opinions?


End file.
